Wet Weekend

I am going to try this post again, Windows 10 installed itself on my computer and I have to say I am not impressed so far. I cannot load pictures onto my blog like I used to. I could do it with relative ease and now it just does not happen. I have discovered a painful, slow, backwards  way to do it for now but there has to be an easier way to do this. I am not good with computers. So here we go again.......


Sunday :

Although today was sunny and cool, the most of the weekend was wet and cold and perfect for staying inside and quilting. Not the whole weekend but the most of it was devoted to quilting. My favourite thing to do

I ran some errands on Saturday morning, one of which was a stop at the fabric store. One of the fellows I work with has recently become a father. He and his wife have welcomed a baby boy into the world. I wanted to make something for the baby I was hoping to get some instructions from them as to what they would like. I got nothing. I am rather fond of this young man, he reminds me of my oldest nephew. I put off making anything, waiting for a clue and then it was announced that we were having a little baby shower at the office on June 2nd. Well I about passed out.

Picking myself up off the floor, got my thinking cap on and  I got an idea. To the fabric store I went and purchased this:

I don't always think black, white and grey when I think baby quilt but the times they are a changing. So I took a chance. I used the pattern I used for The Tater Tot's crib quilt. It was Miss Mouse approved so I figured it would work and on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I got sewing.

I especially like the fish skeleton material, It whipped up in no time at all thank goodness and by Sunday evening, I had it quilted and bound.

The lighting is poor in this picture but you get the idea. I just have to wash it, wrap it and get it delivered. I hope they like it.

The Banker and her Sweet Baboo stopped by on Saturday and trimmed the tree in my front yard for me. I am very happy about that, I wish I could find a before picture but the after is available.

Ignore the lawn that is a total mess concentrate on the open space between the top of the fence and the tree leaves. Not only did they cut it down, they also hauled the mess away. Good Friends, I could not live without them.

So that was my weekend, hope your's was wonderful, whatever you did.

Toodles,
Linda

Turned into a Basket Case by a Basket and other Stuff

I will get to the basket business later in this post because its depressing and right now I am happy with myself, if only  for the moment. I have a zillion quirks and oddities that are all part of my charm and one of those quirks is my ability to mow the lawn. The weird thing is I actually like to mow once I get going. The quirk is getting me to get started. If you listened to me you would think I had a football field to mow not a postage stamp. Well today is a day of ordinary miracles, I finally mowed the freakin' lawn in the back. I got the front done last weekend and finally the back has been beat into submission.

It all started when Lucy reminded me that I needed to put down the knitting and get out of the house.

The grass and weeds were to the point where the weed whacker was needed before the lawn mower could be brought into play. I had the battery all charged up and ready to roll. I love my weed whacker.

It looks not bad in the photo but trust me it was almost knee high. I was starting to think the city would be sending me letters. Now it looks like this

A lot less green but amazingly shorter. Its suppose to rain this week so it should green up in short order

So much better and I am sooooooo happy its done. I had promised myself last night that if this was all I did today, I would call the day a success. I did not stop there though I forged on because its a gorgeous day today, Cool, sunny and a slight breeze. Perfect weather to be out and doing. I started the day with coffee on the veranda, a favourite thing to do.

Once the lawn was done, I moved onto the front flower beds. Weeds had taken over and needed to be tackled

I did both sides of the sidewalk and down the south side of the yard where the hosta bed is.

I filled this bucket up three times, and I still have to do across the front of the yard.

The work always lasts longer than my energy. So I am pooped out but I am pleased with what I got done today. I now can do the last of the flower beds in the front yard and finish the big bed in the back yard. I am hoping to do a bit each night next week. Next weekend is going to be digging out the dead bush at the front, adding fresh soil and trying, yet again to grow a bush in the corner.

I have been knitting again. Little sweaters for people at work. I have another of these blue ones to make. I need to add the buttons to this finished one. Its bluer in person than it shows in the photo.

Then there is another of these lilac ones which is now almost finished. I have two more rows and I can cast off the needles.

The 11 puppets are finished and ready to be wrapped to mail. I have several things to mail. A quilt, three surprises and the puppets. Now all I have to do is get them to the post office. Another one of my charming quirks, I have postal issues.

SO the basket that turned me into a basket case. Well I mentioned a while ago that Lucy had been using a basket in my bedroom as a litter box. Now as the weather warms up I have come to the realization that she was doing it far longer than I knew about. My bedroom smells wonderfully like cat pee. Crap Crap Crappity Crap. I am going to try a few things because where she was peeing there is a crack in the lino and I fear the floor boards got soaked. If what I try does not work, I will have too remove the boards  and replace them. Crap Crap double Crappity crap. More money I don't have. I do know that no new carpet goes down until Lucy has moved on. I can't risk it. She is using the litter box that I have put up there so this is not a case of her peeing where she pleases. She just assumed the basket was a box and thought I had provided her per own personal toilet. It never occurred to me this would happen but it did so now I have to deal with it.

So new shingles, new tires, new fridge and new floor boards. Hmmm I wonder what a slightly used kidney goes for on the open market.

Toodles
Linda

A Plan, A Start and No Photos

So I finally got going on some of the yard work around here. Oh my there is so much that needs to be done. This is the year I want to get the yard to the point that it looks as nice as I can make it be with a minimal amount of work on my part. I am not a gardener. I like a nice looking yard and I have all sorts if ideas of what needs to be done but I am not so good at the doing. If I had minions to do all the work, I could boss them around like nobody's business.

So in the real world, while I have had offers of help, the reality is the its up to me and this is the year that I want to get the yard finished. I want to dig up the big flower bed by the shed and re plant it. I have decided on mostly hostas for that spot as a lot of it faces north.  I am done waiting on my neighbour to decide if he is taking down the trees between our properties or if he is leaving them. The trees shade my flowerbed and I was waiting but now I have decided hostas will work if the trees are there or if they are gone.

So I got digging on Saturday. Well that was an eye opener. In order to dig I have to stand on my bad leg and sink the shovel with my good leg. Bad leg was not impressed with this little adventure and in short order let me know this was not going to be tolerated or the entire flower bed. I am the first to admit, that I never had a vast amount of energy but since I was sick I have next to none. Shoveling was interesting. I did get a four foot by eight foot patch dug up before I hollered UNCLE and gave up. I had the best intentions to finish the rest today. Did not happen, I also did not take pictures. I forgot the befores and if I took an after, you would wonder what I did with my time. I don't know what the heck I do. The Banker does yard work and her place is pristine, not a leaf, twig or root out of place. The dirt of her beds has no debris in it at all.  I work til I am done in and at best it looks like toothless goats have been at the place.

I need to come up with a free  super economical edging for the flower bed that is not wood. Water lies along the bed every spring and the landscaping timbers just rot. I do need something to keep the dirt in the bed. So my thinking cap is on and I am searching Pinterest for inspiration.

I had a rest, got myself cleaned up then went out for sushi with The Hostess. She was in town and we got to have a good catch up over supper. It was a lovely way to end the day. Time spent with friends is always time well spent.

Today, I weed whacked the front lawn. It was so over grown that the lawnmower just flattened the grass without actually cutting it. My battery died just as I got the front finished. I, then mowed, raked and briefly wept at the mess the flower beds are in. I straightened up the lawn ornamentation and weeded around the peonies. I also finally cut down the dead peony stalks, picked up the garbage that has blown into my yard and swept the sidewalks. By the time I had done that I was bushed but its a start!!.

I wanted to keep going, it was such a lovely day today, cool and overcast. It was a joy to be outside but I just could not do any more. This is so sad because my lawn is the size of a postage stamp. It should not be this hard to get it done. I need to keep at it, its so good for me and I need to get back the little energy I had before my leg changed the game plan. I am enjoying it too, even though I have to quit sooner than I would like to. I am enjoying feeling like doing stuff. Making plans and doing projects after so many months of not caring gives me hope that I may get back to my old self yet.

So the plan is that a little gets done each day this week. I want to get the front flower beds weeded and worked up. Kill the weeds down the sidewalk and weed out the hosta bed at the front. Then I want to dig out the bush I planted last year, dig out a lot of the dirt around it,  replace the old with fresh compost and dirt. I will then buy a third bush and hope to heck I don't kill this one as well. The veranda needs to be cleaned up and washed down as its loaded with winter dirt and debris

In the back I want to finish digging the flower bed, weed the patio and add sand to the stones. I need to weed whack the lawn and then mow it as well. The second fern bed needs to be fenced in again. just with the cheap dollar store fencing. it really works to hold the ferns up. The two benches back there need to be painted. I am thinking red will be the colour of choice. That's the plan for the yard. It needs to be done before I get the bedding plants and can start to plant the beds.

I love love love my green bin from the City. Its so nice to have a place to put the dead vegetation. It was a blessing to be able to roll it up and dump stuff into it without bagging it up and throwing it into the dumpsters.

Once the yard is done, I plan to tackle the shed. I need to paint the last wall, decorate the outside, then the inside is going to be purged. There is a lot of stuff in there that does not need to be there and its time for it to be gone. I was in the shed today and I would really like to be able to walk in there without having to move a bunch of stuff to get to what I need. . Its stuffed with things I need but there is a lot of stuff in there that I do not need anymore, not to mention the leftovers from the previous owners. Time for it all to go. That should take some time!!

I have a plan, I have a vision and I am have made a start on it. All. of this makes me very happy...... and very tired!!

Toodles,
Linda

Nothing Left But the Banana

I don't thing much got crossed off the "TO DO" list this weekend. I did manage to crochet, knit and sew but other than that not much happened. No yard work, not much house work and certainly the bathrooms did not get cleaned. Oiy, I am not sure what is up with me but there is something.

I did manage to binge watch Vikings, while I was knitting. Ten episodes, and entire season and while doing that I manged to make this, cause I can multi task doncha know???

Its for the Wee Girl of course. I spied the yarn and just could not resist it. Its much cuter in person than my photography skillz portray it to be. I am just hoping its gonna fit her. This was my reward for finally finishing the puppet order. I have little project in mind for the Tater Tot too. 

I got the puppet order done and the neck inserts sewn into all of them except the sturgeons. I will get those done this week and then  I can get them wrapped and in the mail. That is one of my goals.  

I also made this little dude for Birthday Twin. She found him on the internet and wanted one so I obliged because I like to be nice once in a while,.

There is a little crocheted banana that goes with him but I have not made that yet.

He is a little cutie. I hope she is pleased with him. She has been having a tuff time and I am hoping this little fellow helps to make her smile.

I did the dishes and ordered in pizza. That is the sum total of my weekend. not much to say for myself, that is for sure. Oh well, tomorrow is another day

My grand hope is that I do at least one load of laundry before the sun sets. Sigh.

Toodles,
Linda

There is now a banana

Best Laid Plans

I always make a "To Do:" list for the weekend in the vain hope that I will get much accomplished and I will be able to stroke the majority of the things off the list.  An optimistic venture. Sometimes it works and sometimes it don't. Sometimes, other more fun things come up. and I do them instead. So far this weekend is shaping up that way. Other fun things that is.

First of all some kitty cuteness. Lucy has turned squatter and is busy teaching me more lessons about baskets. If I want to keep them for myself, I need to put them up. Somebody has taken over my Halloween treat basket. Apparently it/s just the right size for her dainty self to curl up in and sleep. So I think I need to get something else for the treats and leave this basket for Lucy. She looks darn purrrrfect in it.

Up date on the crafty stuff. I got commissioned to make a couple of these. I have not made them for a number of years but I was asked to make two of them as presents. Carrot stockings!!

An alternative to an Easter Basket for Easter treats. My oldest niece found a picture in a book long ago and I made some for her boys.Quick, simple, easy and best of all I had the felt on hand so no need to run to the store. I just have to add the girls names onto them and they will be done. I am one and a half puppets away from completing the one puppet order and I have another waiting in the wings,

I FINALLY sent the Wee Girl her bumper pads!! Apparently she was pleased with the product. Although that big happy smile is on her face most of the time so how pleased she truly is is suspect.

Currently she is out on her Uncle and Aunty's farm, chasing around in the tractor doing farm stuff with Daddy. Farming is hard work and makes a girl fall asleep at the wheel.

Sound asleep on Mommy's lap in a noisy old tractor, slumped foreward with not a care in the world. How relaxed does one have to be to do that??

I got to have coffee with The Hostess and Teddy Bear to day. I have not seen The Hostess for a rather long time so it was nice to catch up with her and her news. Much more fun to be out for coffee and chit chat than staying home and doing housework. I did manage to get groceries today and hit the dollar store and the craft store. That is the sum total of my accomplishments today. Not a lot stroked off the list. Poof!!!! I don't care, fun times with friends wins out over chores every time. The chores will wait and spending time with good friends is never ever a waste of time. Plus I got two hugs today from two people I know that simply give the very best hugs in the world. Icing on the cake of my day!!

Toodles.

Linda

I Can't Think of A Clever Title

Another weekend is slipping away, Things got done and things got missed. A rather typical week with no great adventures to commend it. No great disasters either so all in all it was a good week. One thing I can say is that my knee is doing much better this week. Last week it was acting like a naughty child and made moving about a real misery. This week its vastly better much to my relief.

I have been working away at a puppet order. I am nearly finished. So far I have made a sturgeon, well two of them actually. They were done before this weekend. I still have to figure out how to keep the stuffing in it.I keep showing them off because I am very pleased with how they turned out.

This weekend I did make these, I have made cranes, There are two of these required as well,

White tailed deer, ( 2 again). There has also been a loon and a man and an eagle. These are all headed to a school to help with a reading program. That makes me very happy. I have to make a Marten and then this order is complete.

I got the egg cups moved over to their new home but I need something on a couple of the shelves to raise some of them up so you can see them better

The cupboard on the bottom will add some much needed storage in this little house. I probably could have had it made smaller but I am pleased with it none the less. My Dad made the little book case for me years ago and I am very happy to have a new use for it.

I gave my bedroom a tidy for the first time in ages. Too much stuff getting left where it should not be was cause problems. At long last I finally tried putting back a piece of the wall paper that fell off almost the moment I put it up. I bought some wall paper paste and gave it a go. IT STUCK!!! So now I can get the rest of it put back onto the wall. I can remove the rest of the carpet, repaint and put in new flooring. I may actually get my bedroom done at last!! Its the last room in the house that wants a reno. I cannot wait to have a blue bedroom again.

I made up a batch of laundry soap which was greatly needed as five loads of laundry were on hold until some got made. The thought of public nudity is a great motivator. Somewhere in all the rounds of housework and projects, I smashed my little finger.

Its fine, it just got a really good pinch. Its a delightful egg plant colour. Housework is not always hazard free.

This week, I had supper with the Banker, Kit Kat and Teddy Bear. We were discussing our trip to Scotland and have decided that its just not on for now. We are not saying its cancelled, but postponed. That makes me sad but money only goes so far, and the house needs shingles, the car will soon need tires and I hold my breath every time I open the fridge until I know its still running. It the way life goes. Scotland will do another day. Got my hair cut, had No Cook with the girls and went to the show on Saturday night to round out the week. Not bad for an old girl.

Today was laundry, puppet production and a delicious long nap.

I hope your weekend was a good one.

Toodles,
Linda

Projects

I often wonder if there will ever be a time in my life where my bank book exceeds my need/want/wish list. I also often wonder how it would be to live that life. But as they say if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. I am on the walking path.

The upside of this is it makes you creative. I am all for recycling, reusing and making. I also tend to get a bug in my head about something an it can easily become an obsession. This latest obsession was the light fixture in my craft room. Its a ceiling fan and a while ago the second light bulb burnt out. I was in the dim twilight to say the least. I gave it several dirty looks and in the process noticed the incredible build up of dust on the blades. It any of it ever let go, its gonna leave a dent where it hit. I never use it as a fan. It goes "whomp, whomp whomp" as it runs and in short order drives me mad.

So I thought I need to change the light fixture, I need something new with really good light. Ok then reality set in. Light fixtures cost, electricians/handy men like to be paid to do jobs like this. Big heavy sigh and I decide I will just invest in better light bulbs. I got some on sale, LED's which are good for 20 years and give off great light. This did nothing to change the fact that I want the fan gone. What to do??

You think about it, you stare at the fixture and "boing" you get an idea. Long story short you take the bladed off the fan, The Banker came over and removed the fan blades and the extra chains. So simple. I washed the glass shades and she polished up the fixture. In short order it was put back together with the snazzy new bulbs and I could not be happier. Its like a new fixture and it only cost me a cup of coffee and three bulbs. Best of all its done, done, done. ( I forgot to take a before picture)

Now I am busy working on puppets. I have had a few puppet orders recently and even a quilt order. I need to put my nose to the grind stone and get busy. I have spent most of yesterday working on them, in between having coffee, then lunch with The Banker and doing some household chores. It was the perfect weekend for it. Cold, wet, snowy. It was a good day to be inside, watching TV and crocheting. Today is much of the same although I have added, laundry, soup making and a little bit of baking into the mix.

 I am making a few new puppets. This is the first new guy to the bunch, a sturgeon, or at least my rendition of one

I just need to figure out how to sew an insert into him to keep the stuffing in and yet allow you hand to get into his mouth. I will figure that out another day. I also have been asked to make a crane, a marten and a deer, but I have made a deer before. Its always a challenge but I enjoy that. This order also requests a loon, an eagle, and a person with black hair. Then I have a dragon and a porcupine to make. 

Hope your day is going well.

Toodles

Linda